Swamp
The Reset Series Book 4
Kellee L. Greene
Contents
Books By Kellee L. Greene
1. Joss
2. Adam
3. Stevie
4. Joss
5. Adam
6. Stevie
7. Joss
8. Adam
9. Stevie
10. Joss
11. Adam
12. Stevie
13. Joss
14. Adam
15. Stevie
16. Joss
17. Adam
18. Stevie
19. Joss
20. Adam
21. Stevie
22. Joss
23. Adam
24. Stevie
25. Joss
26. Adam
27. Stevie
28. Joss
29. Adam
30. Stevie
What’s next?
Books By Kellee L. Greene
Mailing List
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Kellee L. Greene
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.
First Edition August 2020
Books By Kellee L. Greene
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Swamp - Book 4
Book 5 Coming Soon!
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
Red Sky Series
Red Sky - Book 1
Blue Cloud - Book 2
Black Rain - Book 3
White Dust - Book 4
Indigo Ice - Book 5
Yellow Heat - Book 6
Ravaged Land Series (1)
Ravaged Land -Book 1
Finding Home - Book 2
Crashing Down - Book 3
Running Away - Book 4
Escaping Fear - Book 5
Fighting Back - Book 6
Ravaged Land: Divided Series (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
Falling Darkness Series
Unholy - Book 1
Uprising - Book 2
Hunted - Book 3
The Island Series
The Island - Book 1
The Fight - Book 2
The Escape - Book 3
The Erased - Book 4
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
1
Joss
I combed my fingers gently through the wet fur behind Clover’s ear. She sat there, acting as though it was just any other day and that everything we’d gone through hadn’t even affected her. As far as Clover was concerned, nothing had happened.
Maybe she’d simply forgotten.
I was jealous. My brain didn’t work that way. I could remember every single vivid detail since we saw the flash of light that night. The night I’d gathered with my best friends to celebrate my birthday.
Each time I closed my eyes, I could see dead eyes looking back at me. I could still picture the blood changing the color of the water from a dark blue to a deep muddy crimson.
I wouldn’t ever be the same. I missed everything about my life before. And I knew I wouldn’t ever be able to pretend otherwise. This way of life wasn’t something I would adjust to. I wouldn’t ever be able to find any kind of happiness in what was left of our world.
We had to kill to save our own lives. If we wouldn’t have, there was no doubt in my mind that we would be the ones that were dead.
It didn’t seem as though it was bothering anyone else. Caleb and Jenna were just as cuddly as ever. And Robby was focused. But then there was me and I had trouble forcing myself to think about anything else.
The group had attacked us, yet it still hadn’t felt great that we’d stolen their boat. What choice did we really have, though? When it came down to choosing between them or us… we all collectively and instinctually picked us.
Leaving them behind… was that evil? Was I evil?
The boat bounced over the gentle waves. Not only had we taken their boat and left them for dead, but we also had all their supplies.
We’d be lucky to have a lot of food, although the choices were sparse. There hadn’t been any cat food for Clover but she enjoyed the foil packets of tuna just as much, if not more.
Clover pushed her face against my hand. She licked my finger several times.
“She’s hungry,” Caleb said with a huge grin. “Bet she’d love it if we could catch a fresh fish.”
He had his arms curled around Jenna as she rested her head against his chest. Her eyes were closed but her forehead was wrinkled. She was trying to sleep but was clearly failing.
“I would too,” I admitted.
Caleb’s head bobbed up and down in agreement. I wasn’t the only one sick of chips, granola, canned cold meat, and beans. Anything heated would be amazing. Anything at all. Sausages… chicken dinner… eggs… tacos… hot dogs.
It had been hard to keep track of the days we were on the water. Days blended into nights. I had given up counting after five.
To conserve fuel, we took turns paddling, which wasn’t too bad when the wind was blowing as the waves helped push us along. The part that worried me was that after all the time that had gone by, we still hadn’t found land.
There were times I wondered if it was all finally gone. Nothing was left but rain and water. And more water. Water, water, water.
Everything behind us was gone. It was hard to believe that everything I ever had known really no longer existed.
“What are you thinking about?” Robby asked.
“Nothing,” I lied.
Robby chuckled. “I know you good enough now to know when you’re not being completely honest with me.”
“Sorry,” I sighed. “There’s just no point in talking about it.”
“We don’t have to talk about it,” Robby said. “But I’d still like to know what it is.”
“I feel bad,” I said looking down at my twisting fingers.
Robby’s brow wrinkled. “You don’t have anything to feel bad about.”
“I feel bad we took their stuff. We’re the ones alive,” I said shaking my head. “But who knows how long that will last anyway.”
Jenna groaned and shifted around. My mere existence was enough to irritate her. Talking only made it worse.
“Everything behind us… just gone. Erased as though it never even had been there.” I looked over at Robby. “Sometimes I’m not even sure if it ever did. Maybe all that before was just a dream.”
“If we hadn’t taken the boat, we wouldn’t be alive now,” Robby said. It was something he reminded me of several times over the last few days.
He knew it troubled me. What I didn’t get was why it didn’t seem to bother anyone else?
“I know,” I said. “It’s hard not to think about all the deaths.”
“I still kind of hope that I’ll wake up from this nightmare,” Jenna said.
“Would I still be there?” Caleb asked with a wink.
Jenna opened her eyes and smiled. “God, I hope so.”
I exhaled and looked away from them. Somehow, even though Robby wasn’t far, I still felt like a third wheel.
“Hey,” Caleb said as he carefully stood, his eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”
“Just thick clouds. Maybe it’s a storm coming,” Jenna said. “Or wait… maybe they’re mountains?
“Land?” Caleb said hopefully.
A smile curled Caleb’s lips upward until laughs erupted from deep within. “It’s mountains! I’m almost sure of it. We did it! We made it!”
Caleb pulled Jenna to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. They both laughed and giggled.
I stayed seated. There wasn’t any joy or excitement bubbling inside of me. All I had inside me was dread and worry. And sadness.
Oh, and not to mention the intense feelings of being homesick. Would I ever not feel that way? It wasn’t likely there would ever be a place that would feel like my home ever again. That thought was beyond depressing. I pushed it away before complete depression washed over me.
“Look,” Robby said gesturing forward. “We’re even closer than you think.”
Caleb clapped his hands together as if he’d just landed a crucial three-pointer in a championship basketball game. “Yes!” he said grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. “Be happy!”
“I am,” I said forcing a weak smile. “But still apprehensive.”
“As we should be,” Robby said. “Land doesn’t mean this is over.”
“But it means we can get off this damn boat,” Caleb said.
The boat bounced like a rubber ball on grass as we approached the edge of the water. Robby slowed the boat, sticking out the oar as we drew closer to the land.
He popped out of the boat, holding a long piece of rope tied to the front. Using his strength and the slight forward momentum of the boat, he dragged it into the mud until it stopped altogether.
Robby dropped the rope and reached his hand up to me. “Hand me the bags.”
“All of it?” I asked. It felt a little strange not to leave some behind… just in case.
“As much as we can carry,” Robby said.
“What if we need to come back?” I asked.
Robby’s head shook with confusion. “Why would we need to do that?”
“Maybe the water will keep rising,” I said.
“I can’t see far,” Robby said placing his hand over his brow. “But I’m sure there is no more water, at least not in that direction. Do you think we should go further south? Find something better?”
Jenna groaned as she leaned over the side of the boat and handed Robby a bag. “No more boat.”
“I concur,” Caleb added as if I thought his opinion might differ, which of course, I didn’t.
“Who knows if it would be better,” I said. “Maybe we’d find something worse. It just feels weird to leave the boat behind after everything.”
Caleb and Jenna handed Robby more bags. He looked at me and gave me a smile he hoped would transfer comfort. It didn’t.
“It’s okay now,” Robby said. “If help is out there, we’ll find it now.”
“If it’s out there,” I echoed.
Robby reached both hands up to me and I took them. He helped me down. My feet sank down into the mud. I wobbled slightly. My legs felt oddly numb and for a second, I worried if I’d be able to hold myself up.
“You okay?” Robby asked concern filling his eyes.
“Yeah. I’m good,” I said.
“I’ll carry your bag for the time being,” Robby said.
I huffed. “Don’t be silly. I can carry my own bag.”
“Which way should we go?” Robby asked.
“Straight away from the water,” Jenna said. She let out a quick breath. “Do you really think we’ll find help out there?”
Robby shrugged. “I hope so. If not, we’ll figure it out.”
Jenna placed her hand on her stomach. She didn’t mention it but her worries weren’t only about herself. She was worried about what would happen when the time came for her baby to arrive.
“Oh shit,” Caleb said stepping in front of Jenna.
I squinted and peered out, following the direction of Caleb’s gaze. There was a man standing there. Waving. No doubt, he was waving at us.
2
Adam
Fighting for my life wasn’t ever going to be easy but it was necessary. If the choice was Leah and me, or someone else, I was always going to pick us. More specifically, her. Always.
It didn’t matter how much blood I’d have on my hands, I was going to make it back to my parents one way or another. I’d been through far too much not to. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t quit. Finding something else wasn’t an option, at least not until I made sure I made every possible effort to get to them first.
Leah and I had gone through hell. There were several moments I could recall thinking that we weren’t going to make it. Survival was a challenge I wasn’t prepared for.
The flash of light had changed everything. Whatever they’d done to our atmosphere had changed everything. The rain hadn’t stopped falling since that day but thankfully the awful earthquakes and storms had come to an end.
I was far from home. And each step was only taking me further away, but it didn’t really matter because there wasn’t anything back there for me.
Death and destruction were all that had been left behind. I’d found Leah in my travels and we thought for a moment we were safe but then they came. A group that didn’t only want our supplies, they wanted us too.
It was like a cult. They wanted ultimate power in whatever came next in our world. We could have stayed with them but the cost would have been too huge for Leah. It would have been dangerous for both of us.
What scared me, though, was that I was pretty sure there were more of them out there. We’d only gotten a taste of what the group was capable of.
But maybe I was just paranoid. Overreacting out of fear.
If we made it to the resort, maybe that would mean we wouldn’t have to worry about running into them again. Because if we did, there was no guarantee we’d survive again.
Violence didn’t faze them. And I was pretty sure I didn’t have what it would take to fight them again. My luck had run out.
And to make everything worse, I was sick of traveling. The skin on my heels was rougher than sandpaper and the irritation from constantly wearing wet clothes was enough to send a person to the loony bin. It was definitely a form of torture.
Leah was back to herself. Or she was at least pretending to be.
We’d been biking all day for about a week, stopping only when we had to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom. Most of the traveling was uphill. Sometimes it was quite steep and we’d have to stop and walk for a while. I’d just remind myself, over and over again, that the higher up we went, the closer we were to finding my parents.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” Leah asked.
“My parents?”
“Yeah,” she said keeping her eyes forward.
I smiled at her. “Of course they will. I like you so they’ll like you. What makes you think they wouldn’t?”
“Well, I don’t want them to like me just because you do,” Leah said. “That’s not a reason to like someone.”
“I’m surprised you even care what they’ll think,” I said.
“I don’t,” she said. She let out a soft grumble. “Dammit, I don’t know why I care. I mean, I don’t really… but I do… a little. Only a little.”
I chuckled. “It’s okay. They’ll like you because you’re honest and funny… and beautiful.
”
“Beautiful? That would be kind of awkward, don’t you think?”
“Sorry, those are the reasons I like you,” I said grinning. “Can’t imagine not everyone having those same reasons.”
Leah finally looked over at me and smiled but after a few seconds, it faded. “I’m just different. I didn’t grow up with money. Or manners. I’m nothing at all like you.”
“Look around at all the well-mannered people everywhere,” I said. “That was a different world.”
“I don’t even know how to act around them,” Leah said.
“Seriously? Leah, it will be fine,” I said. “Act like you always do. They’ll think you’re great.”
Leah sighed. “I’ve never, like, done something like this before. Meet parents. It sounds so… so….”
“Awkward?”
“Awful.”
“After everything, it’s funny that this is what you’re worried about,” I said.
Leah glanced at me, raising a brow. “I’m good at multitasking. I can worry about a lot of things all at once. Something I was always good at.”
“I didn’t even realize we were at the meeting parents stage of our relationship,” I said giving Leah a half-smile.
“They are going to be at the location we’re going,” Leah said. “I’ll have to meet them even if we’re not at that stage.”
The Reset Series | Book 4 | Swamp Page 1